Brandon and I wanted to do something a bit different for our about us page so we decided to interview each other.  Below are our questions and answers; hopefully this gives you a bit of insight into who we are. Although, I’m sure our photographs can tell just as much as these words.

 

 

Brandon Russell, Interviewed by Josh Hejl:

J: What drew you back to Mammoth after going to college in Reno ?

B: I suppose I’m a small-town kid and I don’t deal well with traffic and lot’s of people around. Reno’s not bad when it comes to that, but it was more than I could handle for any extended time.

J: What excites you about photography?

B: The thing I like most about being a photographer is the constant change in focus. Every month, every season, there’s something new to get into whether it be weddings, seniors, families, sports, architecture, landscape…There’s always something to get excited about and focus on.

J: Do you have a favorite lens?

B: At the moment I’m going to go with the Canon 135 f/2. It works well for my two biggest sources of income: portraits and sports. For portraits it gets you right up on the subject and makes the background disappear. For sports, it’s a good length for a lot of different applications, and it’s a stop faster than the 2.8 lenses that most other photographers are using.

J: What is your current favorite location and time of day to shoot?

B: I love shooting in the Owens Valley, which is a big volcanic caldera that runs from Mammoth to Bishop. There’s cool light down there and the mountains are a dramatic background in almost any direction.

J: Does your degree in journalism aid you in photography?

B: Yeah, I did a lot of photojournalism work in my final years of college so that’s where I really learned how to capture moments candidly. Several of our projects required us to tell people’s stories through images. You had to convince total strangers to let you into their homes and to tell you their story as candidly as possible. The process of creating that story is feels very similar to shooting a wedding. You’ve also got to get to know a couple very intimately over the course of a few hours.

J: What about photographing people do you find the most fascinating? 

B: I’m not sure fascinating is the best way to describe my feelings towards shooting people. Maybe the better question is what is the most challenging part about shooting portraits? For me, that would probably be searching out unique locations that not only create a dynamic, dramatic scene, but reflect the subject’s personal experience. Most people that come to Mammoth in search of a portrait photographer want to be shown candidly in the mountain setting which is pretty easy around here, but mountains create interesting lighting scenarios and other logistical challenges, which I love.

J: What is your favorite leisure activity ?

B: Some might call skiing a leisure activity. That’s what I like to do in the winter and spring. It’s what I’ve spent my entire life doing and I feel like skiing defines me to a certain extent.

J: Favorite part about shooting weddings ?

B: In the words of Michael Bolton in Office Space, I guess I sorta like it all. The morning, preparation time is a great way to settle in and try to find new ways to shoot people tying their shoes. The ceremony and formal portrait hour is intense and comes with a lot of pressure but is the most rewarding. The reception is fun and relaxed and gives us a chance to mingle with these people when they’re more comfortable. 






J: Describe your style of photography ?

B: For portraits, I aspire to embrace both my journalism background and my formal portrait experience. I like to combine candid shots with cool compositions with aesthetically interesting posed portraits.

J: You’ve already traveled a lot. Say you get one camera, one lens and a plane ticket, where would you go for a month and what lens would you bring?

B: Of the places I’ve been, South America is my favorite and a place I’d like to return to often. Photographically, there is everything I like. Much of the Andes are like the Sierras, steep and rugged and have awesome, dynamic foregrounds. The mountains lead right to the water, whether it’s the ocean or a Tahoe-esque lake. The thing that really separates it from this region, though, are the people. The indigenous culture is still very much intact makes for much more challenging and rewarding portrait photography. 
If I could bring one lens with me, it would probably be a wide angle zoom, like a 16-35.

J: How has traveling been a part of you’re life and growth ?

B: Photographically speaking, I learn more while I’m traveling than any other time. I usually travel to shoot photos, and when you cut all the other distractions out of life and just focus on the camera, it’s impossible not to learn about it. I spent several months in South America by myself in 2006 and learned more about photography during that time than I had before or since.
Travel is also a good way to learn about yourself and your own world. In Mammoth, it’s easy to get caught up in the mountain town lifestyle and forget what the real world is about. Spending time immersed in other cultures has shown me that there is more to life than what I have here and stresses the necessity to throw yourself into uncomfortable positions and avoid complacency. It’s so easy to get comfortable in your bubble, but travel forces a different perspective. Not a lot of people are willing to leave what they know.

Beyond that I spent a year in San Sebastian, Spain during college. I met my girlfriend, Jen, there and she was the best souvenir I could have found.

J: When are you the happiest ?

B: Mid-week powder mornings on Chair 22 at Mammoth. If my knees are intact, you’ll find me there.